From the Left

The left is relieved that the FBI is conducting an investigation, but concerned about the scope and time constraints. Many on the left also think Kavanaugh displayed an inappropriate bias against Democrats during Thursday’s hearing.

From the Right

The right argues that an FBI investigation is unlikely to offer new information. They see this as a delaying tactic rather than a good faith attempt to discover the truth.

“The Federal Bureau of Investigation will only interview two of three women who have publicly accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault, a directive handed down by the White House that could make it difficult for agents to conduct a thorough probe."

Daily Beast

Former FBI Director James Comey writes, "if truth were the only goal, there would be no clock, and the investigation wouldn’t have been sought after the Senate Judiciary Committee already endorsed the nominee. Instead, it seems that the Republican goal is to be able to say there was an investigation and it didn’t change their view, while the Democrats hope for incriminating evidence to derail the nominee."

He adds furthermore that “it is one thing to have your lawyer submit a statement on your behalf. It is a very different thing to sit across from two F.B.I. special agents and answer their relentless questions."

‍New York Times

“We almost certainly will never have definitive proof one way or the other on the veracity of Christine Blasey Ford and Kavanaugh's testimonies. However, every piece of evidence moves us closer to the truth by either corroborating or undermining key elements of both accounts."

CNN

Some go further in stating that “getting to the bottom of what happened between Ford and Kavanaugh should not be the FBI’s only goal. Just as important is to talk to enough high school and college friends to assess the veracity of Kavanaugh’s numerous rebuttals during Thursday’s hearing about his teenage years... whether Kavanaugh should sit on the Supreme Court hinges on his ability to tell the truth. That’s the least we can expect from a Supreme Court justice."

Boston Globe

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Regarding Kavanaugh’s testimony that this is all “revenge on behalf of the Clintons and millions of dollars in money from outside left-wing opposition groups," one commentator writes: “I don’t blame Kavanaugh for being angry... But it is possible to defend oneself with dignity. Clarence Thomas was plenty steamed as he answered Anita Hill’s accusations in 1991. But he did so with far more composure and respect for our institutions."

“Kavanaugh’s opponents... mislead people to think that if the FBI does not jump in, there will be no investigation of Ford’s allegation. The people actually responsible for investigating these allegations are the Judiciary Committee’s own investigative staff and they have been hard at work for nearly two weeks. The list of steps they have taken is nearly six pages long."

Daily Signal

“Unless everyone named by Dr. Ford was, under penalty of felony, lying to you and the press, the FBI will return quickly with the same statements you’ve already read. Outside of Dr. Ford, who can’t remember the only details of her story that would allow Judge Kavanaugh to clear his name – the where and when – there is no credible human being who can say he did anything inappropriate."

“If Democrats were interested in the truth, they wouldn't have held onto these allegations until the last minute... they wouldn't have announced that they believed Christine Ford before either one of them had actually testified... [and] they would have asked Kavanaugh about the incident in question rather than spending the entire hearing focused on yearbook scribblings."

Daily Wire

Regarding Kavanaugh’s passionate testimony, “this idea that he can’t be a Supreme Court justice because he wasn’t dispassionate in the face of multiple bogus allegations that he’s a rapist is both grotesque and grotesquely dumb...

“Flake has bought the country some time to find a way out of the wretched impasse... the FBI should be given whatever it needs. And then, if no further corroborative evidence emerges, Democrats should gracefully accede to a confirmation vote... Moderates may be scarcer during these partisan times, but those people still swing elections. The best place to court them is from the moral high ground, and thanks to Jeff Flake, for the moment Republicans have captured it.”